Health Minister Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has voiced worry about personal attacks in the wake of the recent attack on a Ridge Hospital nurse.
In an address to the Accra media, he stated his continued dedication to the well-being of healthcare professionals and referred to efforts to agitate professionals against the government as unfortunate.
“It has come to our attention as a ministry that some union leaders have developed a habit of attacking my person at the least provocation, and in most cases, without provocation,” he stated.
The Minister was reacting to a widely shared video in which Ralph Williams, a social media user known as Fellow Ghanaian, said that the hospital’s emergency room had been neglected and showed a nurse being beaten by several young males.
Mr. Akandoh stated that in order to evaluate the situation, he sent a committee to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital on Monday.
“When the delegation came back, after debriefing, I realised that I had to follow up and visit the victim. After going round, we had a closed-door meeting to discuss issues on how to beef up security, among others, at the hospital,” he said.
The Minister reaffirmed that violence against medical personnel was never acceptable, regardless of the degree of provocation.
He stated that attacking medical staff was illegal and unacceptable and that filing a formal complaint was the proper course of action.
Mr. Akandoh stated that he had communicated his desire to hear all sides of the story to the hospital administration.
“When I came out, my attention was drawn to a man called Ralph who was at the centre of the controversy. He walked towards me. I asked him why he did that, he stretched his hands to shake me and whispered into my ears that he will come and see me,” he recounted.
He made it clear that the handshake had no bearing on the ministry’s resolve to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident or indicate leniency.
A committee has been established to look into the issue, and it should have its report ready in a week.
Speaking about medical negligence, Mr. Akandoh disclosed that, in spite of the government’s restricted funding for medical equipment, it spends more than GH¢10 million a year on related claims.
According to him, the problem is serious and requires immediate attention.
The Ministry is seeking reforms to enhance healthcare delivery and is aiming to hire nurses who are now working from home, according to Mr. Akandoh.
“We are looking at how we can export some of them and make them attractive on the global market by introducing specialist programmes,” he said.
Source: newsthemegh.com